Automobile-bumper



F. TOMASEK.

AUTOMOBILE BUMPER. APPLICATION HLED JULY 5.11321.

F. TOMASEIK. AUTOMOBILE BUMPER. M'VPLXCATION FILED IULY 5|1921 'PatentedNov. 15, 1921.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patent-.eu Nov. 1 5, 1921.

, Applicationled July 5, 1921. Serial No.'42,423.

'To all whom it may concern? Be it known that LlizANn ToMsEK, a

.citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county' ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements l1n Automobile-Bumpers, of which the following is aspecifica* My invention relates to bumpers for automobiles, and has forits principalobject the provision Ot" a new and improved bumper'construction which may be firmly attached to the :framing of automobile,

so as provide the desired rigidity to with-Y stand the severe shocks andstrains to which bumpers ot this character are subjected. In

this connection theinvention confmplatesv a simple and, :inexpensivestructure that may be firmly secured tothe framing or other rigidwpartsoian automobile Without requiring the removal oi. any of the parte ofthe automobile associated with the motor mechanism, `whereby the bumpermay v .und quickly applied to or= re- 'u its operative position bypersons having no mechanical skill, without danger ol. suchunskilfulness resulting in damage or disadjustment of the parts of theautomombile with which the bumper is connected Another-object vof theinvention is to provide a bumper which may be firmly at tached to themore readily accessible portions oi 'the :training lor other rigidmembers ont ord type ol automobile, which 't 'tlie various removableparts oli' Aldint-i, ior example, `the radiator, etc., to be'subsequently detached and re-A moved from the framing withoutdisturo.

ing 4the position of the bumper.

Another object is to provide an. auto-` mobile bumper comprising twobumper bars of novel coustructin whlch may be rigidly one or both ofthem are subjlcctedto dis? tortion or compression.-

The invention has lfor further objects the novel constructions,arrangements and combinutions olf parte, and.. devices, hereinafter'described and claimed, for carrying out the above stated objects andsuch other objects as will appear from the following description of theinvention. i

The invention is illustrated in certain preferred embodiments in theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Y Figure l is a fragmentary view in planof the front end of a motor vehicle of the Ford type, showing a bumperconstructed in accordance with my invention, applied 14n its operativeposition on `said vehicle, a portion of the radiator, hood, and mudguards being broken away so as toillus trate more clearly the meansprovided for attaching the bumper to the framing oil the vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation showing a portion'of the iront faces ofthe bumper bars. I A

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View, in elevation Voi the front end of a motorvehicle, 'illusbeing removed therefrom.

, F ig'. 5 is a view in perspective of one of the members adapted to beused in connection with the bracket shown in Fig. f1, to effect anattachment of the bumper con' struction to the framing or' the motorvehieleu vFig'. 6 is a fragmentary view in el vation, similar to thatshown in Fig. 3, illu tr ,i a modified construction of bumper barsupport, and

v Fig. 7 is a view in coss-section taken on line 7-7 of4 Fig. 6,illustrating the manner in'which the bumper bar supports shown in Fig. 6are attached tothe transverse body bolster ofthe automobile frame. v

Like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the severalgures of the drawings. Referring first to Figs. jl to 5 inclusive of thedrawings, wherein I have shown one embodiment of my invention in a formsuit-- able for use on Ford7 automobiles, it will be obvious that thevarious features'herein disclosed might be used without departure frommy invention in the construction of flat hood, 17 thev radiator frame,-langes on the radiator frame adapted to be bolted to the side sills 10,10 of the chassis.

lMy. improved bumper construction may be described generally asconsisting of two bumper bars 19 and 20 attached to the framing of theautomobile, and adapted to extendacross its front or rear end, so as toprevent;A damage to the automobile in the event of a collision withanother automobile or other object. t

The bumper bars are made preferably of spring metal, so as to yield whensubjected to an impact, and are bent to the coniigura- .tion shown'inFig. 1, with their extremities secured tothesupporting members 21,I 21,which members-are so.formedl as to be attached to the automobile at.points which are most accessible and which are at different planes, soas to firmly support the bumper bars in a horizontal position andprevent them from sagging or becoming loosened by jected tocompression.-

vibration, and to resist the tendency of the 35 bumper to lbe bentvupward or downward when' subjected to a severe impact. The outer. bumperbar 19 is longer than the inner bar 20 ,`and is bent, as indicated at19, t0 extend beyond the bend 20a of the inner bumper bar, so asto-protect the wheelsl and mud-guards of the automobile from damage. Thebumper bars are secured together intermediate their'extremities'by aconnection which permits relative movement of the spring bars 19, 20when they are sub- This connection preferably consists of bolts 22, 22,carried by the outer bar 19, and extending through elongated slots23,23, formed inthe inner bar 2o,-

The bumper bar supports 21, 21 are preferably, though not necessarily,made of cast metal, andA are formed in each casewvith three integralarms, 2,4,- 25, 26. The arm 24 is preferably angular in cross-sectionand conforms in a general way withthe inclina-N tion of the body blster11 ofthe autombile frame. -The end of l,this arm is provided withperforated ears adapt/dto receive/the U-bolts 27 and is claanpe'dil to,"the ,starting crank bea-ring 12. The' topi ange 28 oftlie support 21extends'diagonally across' Ithe body bolster 11 :so as t0 clearlthe'coxeijd 28 of the'support bears'irhily gw in/likes.V '1"to 5,inclusive, and is formed with forward face of the body bolster, so as totransmit the thrusts on the bumper bars directly to the framing oftheautomobile. The arm 25 projects forwardly and provides suitable meansfor attaching thel extremities of the bumper bars 19 and 20 to the saidsupport, and is rigidified by means of a stiiiening web 29. The arm 26extends real'- wardly and is attached to the lower end of the lamp post15 between the mud-guard brackets 14 and the nut 15"', for securiu thelamp posts in place. yIn order to faci itate convenient attachment. ofthis arm, its outer end, instead of being formed with an ordinarybolthole, is formed with an open slot 30 whereby the arm may be fitted4between the mud-guard brackets 14 and the nut 15 Without requiring thevnut 15 to be entirely removed: An angular attaching member 31 is-removably secured to the bumper bar supports between ribs 32, 32, andis formed at its outerend with an open slot 33 adapted to be fitted overthe bolt 34, employed for clamping the frame 18 of the radiator frame tothe side framing of the automobile. The attaching-member 31 ispreferably secured to the bumper bar supports by a bolt'35 and ispositioned between the flange 18 of the radiator frame and the nut 131.

A bumper constructed as above described ing the removal of any part ofthe automo,

bile framing or brackets attached thereto. The removable attachingmember 31 presents a further advantage 1n that 1t can bedisconnectedandthe radiator 17 removed'from the frame of th'e automobilewithout neces-- sitating va complete disconnection or removal of thebumper construction.

In' some situations it is .desirable to pro- 4vide an 'additionalattachment for securing the bumper bar supports to the mud-guard.brackets of the automobile. To accommodate such-conditions', Ipreferably provide an eye-bolt 3G adapted to tit over the lamp posts l5at a point above the' mud-guard 14. The shank of the eye-bolt extendsthrough an aperture in an upstanding lug 37 formed on theV a fm 26,andis threaded for a nut 38.

By tigh ening the nutBS the vertical web 28 of the bumper bar supportmay be drawn tightly against the front face of the body bolster 11 ofthe automobile framing. K In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a modiied "formof bumper bar support in which the 1`rm`24, instead of extending overthe upper siirlface of the body bolster 11u and being seclin'edl'to thestarting crank bearing 12. as shownin the preceding figures, is somewhatshorter." than the corresponding arm shown @flange 24 which extendsunder the body y, ,fbol'sterllf/apd is clamped to the under edgestransverse frame `member and an integral arm for lattachment fb .one of.said mud "guard brackets and an .attaching member removably secured tothe body portion of said supporting member and adapted to the flanges ofsaid radiator and be overlap secured 1n 1ts operative posltion by meansof said radiator attaching bolts; said attaching member bein formed withan open l slot at its outer en whereby it may be 10 readily cdnnectedwith or disconnected from said radiator attaching bolt.

FRANK TOMASEK.

